A way of configuring a device for concealed connection merging through coordinated and dynamic virtual proxy allocation

Abstract

The present invention describes a way of configuring an existing, conventional network-enabled device by modifying and augmenting its designs, schematics, hardware and/or software, and by integrating it into a system, resulting in a corresponding augmented device capable of demand-driven, flexible topology and intelligently-enabled communication between said resulting augmented device and at least one conventional network-enabled application server over multiple segments of the Internet concurrently. The augmented device is configured so as to possess a processing unit, a memory unit, a storage unit, as well as two or more mobile broadband access devices. The augmented device is configured to coexist and cooperate with the other components of the system.

1 . A way of configuring a device by modifying and augmenting its designs, schematics, hardware and/or software, and by integrating it into a system, resulting in an augmented device capable of demand-driven, flexible topology and intelligently-enabled communication with at least one conventional application server over multiple segments of the Internet concurrently, where:
 the augmented device is configured to possess a processing unit, a memory unit, a storage unit, as well as two or more mobile broadband access devices;   the augmented device is configured to coexist and cooperate with the other components of the system comprising other augmented devices, a dynamic pool of relay machines that act as proxies between one or more augmented devices and one or more application servers, as well as a coordination machine that aggregates status and routing information relevant to the augmented devices and relay machines, and dynamically adjusts the number, location and/or performance specifications of running relay machines; and   the augmented device is configured to proxy data it exchanges with said at least one application server through one of the relay machines using a connection-merging protocol which is also known to said relay machines.   
     
     
         2 . The configuration of  claim 1  where the augmented device is configured to possess additional RF- and heat-isolating elements. 
     
     
         3 . The configuration of  claim 1  where the augmented device is configured to possess different power management components, and/or a battery with a higher capacity. 
     
     
         4 . The configuration of  claim 1  where the augmented software functionality of the augmented device operates transparently to its software applications and to the end-user. 
     
     
         5 . The configuration of  claim 1  where the augmented software functionality of the augmented device is partly or entirely implemented within its operating system. 
     
     
         6 . The configuration of  claim 1  where the connection-merging protocol operates at Layer 4 of the Open Systems Interconnection model. 
     
     
         7 . The configuration of  claim 1  where the coordination machine dynamically assigns a relay machine to each of the augmented devices. 
     
     
         8 . The configuration of  claim 1  where the augmented devices and the relay machines exchange location and/or performance information with the coordination machine. 
     
     
         9 . The configuration of  claim 1  where the connection-merging protocol is also known to the coordination machine, and data exchanged between the augmented device and the coordination machine uses the connection-merging protocol. 
     
     
         10 . The configuration of  claim 1  where the coordination machine adjusts the number and/or performance attributes of the relay machines as well as their association with the augmented devices so as to maximize the bandwidth made available by each relay machine to each of its connected augmented devices, minimize the latency of the network connections between each relay machine and each of its connected augmented devices, and/or minimize the cost of operating the system. 
     
     
         11 . The configuration of  claim 1  where the augmented device acts as a gateway to the Internet for one or more separate, unmodified client devices and transparently allows each of them to communicate with at least one conventional application server over multiple segments of the Internet concurrently. 
     
     
         12 . The configuration of  claim 1  where a data exchange between, on the first hand, a software application running on the augmented device or a client device routing its Internet traffic through the augmented device, and, on the second hand, a conventional application server, follows the following steps:
 the software application or the client device makes a conventional network request directed at the application server; 
 the augmented device intercepts the network request, modifies it to support the connection-merging protocol, and transmits the modified network request for proxying to one of the relay machines over its two or more mobile broadband connections; 
 the relay machine synchronizes and reassembles the modified network request received over the two or more mobile broadband connections, recreates the original network request, and transmits the original network request to the application server; 
 the application server receives the network request and transmits a conventional network response back to the relay machine; 
 the relay machine receives the network response from the application server, modifies it to support the connection-merging protocol, and transmits the modified network response to the augmented device over its two or more mobile broadband connections; 
 the augmented device synchronizes and reassembles the modified network response received over its two or more mobile broadband connections, recreates the original network response, and transmits the original network response to the software application or the client device; and 
 the software application or the client device receives the network response. 
 
     
     
         13 . The configuration of  claim 1  where one or more of the software applications running on the augmented device and/or one or more of the client devices routing their Internet traffic through the augmented device are explicitly configured to proxy their Internet traffic through one of the relay machines. 
     
     
         14 . The configuration of  claim 1  where one or more of the mobile broadband access devices are dynamically configured to operate in a diminished state. 
     
     
         15 . The configuration of  claim 1  where the mobile broadband access devices are configured and programmed to utilize distinct frequency band channels. 
     
     
         16 . The configuration of  claim 1  where the digital identities used by the mobile broadband access devices are physical or virtual SIMs. 
     
     
         17 . The configuration of  claim 1  where the digital identities used by the mobile broadband access devices provide access to the mobile networks of two or more distinct network operators. 
     
     
         18 . The configuration of  claim 1  where the digital identities used by two or more of the mobile broadband access devices provide access to the mobile network of the same operator. 
     
     
         19 . The configuration of  claim 1  where at least one of the mobile broadband access devices has access to two or more digital identities and is dynamically associated to one of said identities. 
     
     
         20 . The configuration of  claim 1  where the digital identities used by the mobile broadband access devices are a mixture of physical and/or virtual network identification credentials. 
     
     
         21 . The configuration of  claim 1  where the mobile broadband access devices support a mixture of distinct mobile broadband technologies. 
     
     
         22 . The configuration of  claim 1  where one or more of the mobile broadband access devices are replaced by wired broadband access facilities. 
     
     
         23 . The configuration of  claim 1  where one single digital identity is shared by two or more of the mobile broadband access devices. 
     
     
         24 . The configuration of  claim 1  where the functionality of two or more of the mobile broadband access devices is performed by one single component or module. 
     
     
         25 . The configuration of  claim 1  where the augmented device is a novel device that incorporates the disclosed hardware and software additions and that coexists and cooperates with the other components of the system in the disclosed manner. 
     
     
         26 . The configuration of  claim 1  where the functions of the coordination machine are distributed onto one or more physical or virtual machines. 
     
     
         27 . The configuration of  claim 1  where the relay machines are physical or virtual, and are located at the base stations or deeper within the Internet and closer to the application servers. 
     
     
         28 . The configuration of  claim 1  where the coordination machine assigns two or more relay machines to each of the augmented devices. 
     
     
         29 . The configuration of  claim 1  where one or more relay machine identities are used by each augmented device, each of said identities being dynamically mapped to a relay machine. 
     
     
         30 . The configuration of  claim 1  where the augmented devices in the system are a mixture of augmented smartphones, augmented tablets, augmented laptops, augmented mobile WiFi hotspots, and/or novel devices.